Concealment devices for fashion accessory closures

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to concealment devices to conceal all or part of fastened closures associated with fashion accessories.

FIELD

This invention is directed to devices for concealing closures used with fashion accessories.

BACKGROUND

Closures for fashion accessories such as shoes, belts, hat bands, handbags, etc., come in many guises. For example, without limitation, closures may consist of buckles, slides, clasps, buttons, press studs, hook and loop fasteners, hook and eye fasteners, and the like. While each of these types of fasteners may in and of itself may be decorative, some may suffer from limitations in terms of the image the wearer prefers to express. A common hook and loop closure known commercially as VELCRO®, for example, consists of two segments, one segment being essentially permanently attached at one location on an accessory which segment is to be fastened to a second segment at a second location, the second segment being more or less permanently attached at the second location of the accessory. One of the VELCRO® segments consists of a surface comprising fabric hooks and the other VELCRO® segment consists of a looped fabric. When the segments are pressed together, the hooks become entwined in the loops, thus joining the segments to such a degree that only a relatively forceful disengagement can separate them. The problem with VELCRO® closures is that the hook and the loop segments are generally relatively long so that the closure can be adjusted to accommodate different size users. A belt that will fit, say, 22-26 inch waists or shoes that will fit different thickness feet are obvious examples of such adjustable accessories. The problem is that, as the VELCRO® segments are adjusted to larger sizes by overlapping less and less of the two segments, a portion of one of the segments becomes exposed to a viewer looking at the accessory. This is of no practical significance, the closure still works, but such is oft times considered less than desirable by wearers of the accessory. With regard to closure mechanisms that do not include segments that may be exposed, the entire closure may not constitute a preferred “look.” What is needed is a device for concealing all or part of a fashion accessory closure while maintaining the overall stylistic appearance of the accessory of which it is a part. The present invention provides such a device and method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a concealment device for a fashion accessory closure when fastened, comprising:

a workpiece having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, wherein,

an area of the outer surface is capable of concealing at least a portion of the fastened closure; and,

the inner surface is fixedly attached to a coupling member that is capable of firmly holding the workpiece in a concealing position over the fastened closure.

In an aspect of this invention, the coupling member capable of firmly holding the workpiece in position over the fastened closure comprises a loop of elastic material, such that when loop is elastically stretched and positioned over the closure and the stretching force is removed, the loop is prevented from returning to its rest state by the closure and is thus held in place over the closure by the residual energy stored in the then partially stretched loop

In an aspect of this invention, the coupling member capable of firmly holding the workpiece in position over the fastened closure comprises a loop of flexible, non-elastic material, such that when the fastened closure is inserted through the loop such that the workpiece conceals the closure, the loop is distended such that an inner surface thereof contacts an outer surface of the closure and is frictionally held in place.

In an aspect of this invention, when the closure is a hook and loop closure and a portion of the hook or loop segment of the closure is exposed when the closure is fastened, the coupling member comprises the complement to the exposed segment such that it can be securely coupled with the exposed segment.

In an aspect of this invention, the portion of the hook and loop closure that is concealed by the workpiece is the exposed segment only.

In an aspect of this invention, the portions of the hook and loop closure that are concealed are the exposed segment and at least a portion of the fastened hook and loop segment.

In an aspect of this invention, the fashion accessory on which the closure is used is selected from the group consisting of a shoe, a boot, a belt and a hatband.

In an aspect of this invention, the fashion accessory is a shoe and the closure comprises a hook and loop closure.

In an aspect of this invention, the closure comprises an ankle strap.

In an aspect of this invention, the closure comprises a vamp strap.

In an aspect of this invention, the closure comprises an ankle strap and a vamp strap.

In an aspect of this invention, the clothing or fashion accessory on which the closure is used is a belt and the closure is selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop, a hook and eye, a buckle, a slide, a clasp, a button and a press stud.

In an aspect of this invention, the clothing or fashion accessory on which the closure is used is a hat band and the closure is selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop, a hook and eye, a buckle, a slide, a clasp, a button and a press stud.

In an aspect of this invention, the concealment device further comprises a decorative feature permanently or removeably coupled to the outer surface of the workpiece.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Brief Description of the Figures

FIG. 1 illustrates a concealment device of this invention. FIG. 1A is a top view of such a device while FIG. 1B is a side view of the device. FIG. 1C shows a top view of two segments of a fashion accessory affixed to one another by a hook and loop closure in which a portion of the hook and loop closure is exposed after the segments have been affixed. FIG. 1D is a side view of the diagram of FIG. 1C. FIG. 1E is a side view of the diagram of FIG. 1D with a concealment device of this invention in place.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the attachment mechanism by which concealment device 1 of this invention is secured over an accessory closure such that workpiece 5 covers the closure and is held in place by loop 30 which fits securely around the accessory being closed (not shown).

FIG. 3A show shoe 100 with Velcro closures 105 and 110 on vamp strap 120 and ankle strap 115 open.

FIG. 3B shows shoe 100 with the Velcro® closures secured but with a portion of the closure exposed and visible to a viewer.

FIG. 3C shows the shoe with concealment devices 140 and 144 in place over and covering the exposed portions of the Velcro® closures.

FIG. 4 shows a hat that uses a concealment device of this invention. FIG. 4A shows hat 150 with hatband 155 secured around the crown of the hat by closure 160.

FIG. 4B shows the closure concealed by concealment device 165 of this invention.

DISCUSSION

It is understood that, with regard to this description and the appended claims, reference to any aspect of this invention made in the singular includes the plural and vice versa unless expressly stated or unambiguously clear from the context that such is not intended. For instance, reference to a “closure” is to be construed as relating to a single closure or to multiple closures on the same fashion accessory wherein the each closure may be the or different from each of the other closures.

As used herein, any term of approximation such as, without limitation, near, about, approximately, substantially, essentially and the like, means that a word or phrase so modified by the term of approximation need not be exactly that which is written but may vary from the written description to some extent. The extent to which the description may vary will depend on how great a change can be instituted and have one of ordinary skill in the art recognize the modified version as still having the properties, characteristics and capabilities of the word or phrase unmodified by the term of approximation.

As used herein, “preferred,” “preferably,” “more preferred” and the like, refer to preferences as they existed at the time of filing this patent application.

As used herein, a “concealment device” refers to a piece of opaque or translucent material, which may be constructed of, without limitation, fabric, hide, metal, stone, polymer or any combination thereof, that is sized so that it covers, that is, hides from view from a normal observation perspective, a closure device when the device is in use to fasten together two segments of an accessory. A normal observation perspective simply means the way one person would see another person using a concealment device of this invention in routine day-to-day societal encounters

As used herein, “fashion accessory” refers to any item that can be worn or carried and that contributes in a secondary manner to a wearer's outfit. Examples of fashion accessories include, without limitation, shoes, boots, hats, bonnets, belts, gloves, handbags and the like. Any fashion accessory that includes a closure of any type may be amenable to the use of a concealment device of this invention.

As used herein, a “closure” refers to a device that fastens one portion of a fashion accessory to another portion of the accessory as illustrated, without limitation by the securing of a hatband around the crown of a hat or a flap of a handbag to the handbag proper. A closure herein may also be used to secure a fashion accessory to the wearer as in the case of a belt of a shoe.

As used herein, a “hook and loop” closure refers to the use of two typically linear strips but, at times, round dots, squares or other shapes arranged in a geometric, overall lineal configuration, of fabric that are attached to two opposing surfaces to be reversibly joined together such as, without limitation, the ends of a belt, a shoe strap to a shoe and the ends of a hatband around the crown of a hat. One surface features tiny fabric hooks and the other surface features a multitude of tiny fabric loops. When the two surfaces are pressed together, the hooks become ensnared in the loops thus reversibly fastening the surfaces together. The most well-known commercial version of a hook and loop closure is VELCRO®.

As used herein, a “workpiece” refers to the portion of a concealment device of this invention that in fact covers and hides all or a portion of a closure. The “outer surface” of a workpiece refers to the surface that can be viewed by an observer when the concealment device is in place over a closure. An “inner surface” refers to the side of the workpiece opposite the outer surface and is not visible when the concealment device is in place over a closure. A workpiece herein has an “area of the outer surface” which refers to the overall size of the workpiece as measured on the outer surface which in fact covers and hides all or part of a closure. An outer surface of a workpiece of this invention can have any shape, that is, it may be, without limitation, square, rectangular, round, oval or random-shaped.

As used herein, a “coupling member” that holds a workpiece in place over a fastened closure refers to a separate device that is attached to the workpiece and that has the capability of holding the workpiece in place over a closure. An example of a coupling member is a separate piece of material having a surface that is the complement of an exposed surface of a hook or a loop closure. That is, if the exposed surface of the hook and loop closure is a hook surface, the coupling member will have a loop surface that will couple with the hook surface, that is the loop surface is the operational “complement” of the hook surface. Of course, the opposite is also true: if the exposed surface is a loop surface, the coupling member surface will have the complementary hook configuration. When a workpiece having a hook or loop surface attached to its inner surface is contacted with the exposed surface, it is removeably bound there and thereby conceals the exposed surface from typical day-to-day viewing perspectives.

As used herein, a “decorative feature” refers to any sort of feature of any design, the purpose of which is solely to enhance or personalize the appearance of a concealment device of this invention.

A workpiece outer surface of this invention may conceal all or a portion of a closure. For example, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a hook and loop closure. There, two segments 8 and 9 of a fashion accessory are coupled using a hook and loop closure comprising 3, the hooked portion, and 4, the loop portion as shown in FIGS. 1C, 1D and 1E. It is noted that the assignment of hook and loop portions is entirely arbitrary such that 3 and 4 could be exchanged, the only difference being the surface on the concealment device used to couple the device to the closure. As can be seen in FIGS. 1C and 1D, the entire hook and loop closure extends from 10 to 25 with portion 1 to 15 being exposed. Concealment device 1 comprises workpiece 5 and coupling member 7 as shown in FIG. 1A, a top view, and 1B, a side view. Concealment device 1 is coupled to exposed portion 12 of the hook and loop closure by coupling member 7 such that workpiece 5 covers and conceals exposed portion 12 of the closure.

A further example of a “coupling member” that is used to hold a workpiece in place over a fastened closure is shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, workpiece 5 is attached to loop 30, which loop is fabricated of an elastic material that can be stretched to fit over a closure to be concealed wherein, after loop 30 is placed over the closure and released such that the elastic material attempts to return to its relaxed state, it is prevented from doing so by the closure and thereby remains in a partially tensioned state which is sufficient to hold entire concealment device 1 in place over the closure. In an alternative embodiment, loop 30 can be fabricated of a flexible but non-elastic material and is sized specifically to fit over a specific closure to be concealed such that when concealment device 1 is in its desired position over the closure, the inner surface of loop 30 intimately contacts all surfaces of the closure and is frictionally held in place.

A specific non-limiting embodiment of a concealment device of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. There, in FIG. 3A, shoe 100 is shown with hook and loop closure 110 on ankle strap 115 and hook and loop closure 105 on vamp strap 120, both in the unfastened state. In FIG. 3B, the shoe is shown with both hook and loop closures fastened with exposed surfaces 130 and 132 shown. In FIG. 3C, exposed surface 130 of ankle strap 110 and exposed surface 132 of vamp strap 105 are concealed by workpiece 140 and workpiece 144 of concealment device 141 and concealment device 145. The concealment devices can be held in place either using the elastic loop method or the fitted non-elastic loop method discussed earlier in this disclosure. Of course, if desired, a workpiece having attached to it a coupling member with a complementary surface to the exposed surfaces can be used. The type of concealment device on the ankle strap and the vamp strap may be the same or different. If desired, either or both concealment devices may have a decorative feature permanently or removeably attached to the workpiece.

FIG. 4 shows that 150 around the crown of which is placed hatband 155. In FIG. 4A, hook and eye closure 160 is shown exposed. In FIG. 4B, the hook and eye elements of the closure are concealed by concealment device 165 of this invention. As before, the method of holding concealment device 165 in place may be either an elastic or a fitted non-elastic loop.

While use of a concealment device of this invention has been shown herein with regard to shoe and hat closures, it is under stood that such is not to be considered in any manner limiting on the scope of this invention. That is, any fashion accessory that involves two strap-like segments that are joined together by a closure of any sort may be provided with a concealment device of this invention over exposed portion of the closure.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the use of concealment devices for hiding closures in many other contexts will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the disclosures herein. All such uses of a closure concealment device are within the scope of this invention. 

What is claimed:
 1. A concealment device for a fashion accessory closure when fastened, comprising: a workpiece having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, wherein, an area of the outer surface is capable of concealing at least a portion of the fastened closure; and, the inner surface is fixedly attached to a coupling member that is capable of firmly holding the workpiece in a concealing position over the fastened closure.
 2. The concealment device of claim 1, wherein the coupling member capable of firmly holding the workpiece in position over the fastened closure comprises a loop of elastic material, such that when loop is elastically stretched and positioned over the closure and the stretching force is removed, the loop is prevented from returning to its rest state by the closure and is thus held in place over the closure by the residual energy stored in the then partially stretched loop
 3. The concealment device of claim 1, wherein the coupling member capable of firmly holding the workpiece in position over the fastened closure comprises a loop of flexible, non-elastic material, such that when the fastened closure is inserted through the loop such that the workpiece conceals the closure, the loop is distended such that an inner surface thereof contacts an outer surface of the closure and is frictionally held in place.
 4. The concealment device of claim 1, wherein: when the closure is a hook and loop closure and a portion of the hook or loop segment of the closure is exposed when the closure is fastened, the coupling member comprises the complement to the exposed segment such that it can be securely coupled with the exposed segment.
 5. The concealment device of claim 4, wherein the portion of the hook and loop closure that is concealed by the workpiece is the exposed segment only.
 6. The concealment device of claim 4, wherein the portions of the hook and loop closure that are concealed are the exposed segment and at least a portion of the fastened hook and loop segment.
 7. The concealment device of claim 1, wherein the fashion accessory on which the closure is used is selected from the group consisting of a shoe, a boot, a belt and a hatband.
 8. The concealment device of claim 7, wherein the fashion accessory is a shoe and the closure comprises a hook and loop closure.
 9. The concealment device of claim 8, wherein the closure comprises an ankle strap.
 10. The concealment device of claim 8, wherein the closure comprises a vamp strap.
 11. The concealment device of claim 8, wherein the closure comprises an ankle strap and a vamp strap.
 12. The concealment device of claim 7, wherein the clothing or fashion accessory on which the closure is used is a belt and the closure is selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop, a hook and eye, a buckle, a slide, a clasp, a button and a press stud.
 13. The concealment device of claim 7, wherein the clothing or fashion accessory on which the closure is used is a hat band and the closure is selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop, a hook and eye, a buckle, a slide, a clasp, a button and a press stud.
 14. The concealment device of claim 1, further comprising a decorative feature permanently or removeably coupled to the outer surface of the workpiece. 